| Three Lions | |
| Developer: | Z-Axis Tarantula Studios (GBC) |
| Publisher: | Take-Two Interactive |
| Genre: | Sports |
| Modes: | Single player, multiplayer |
| Composer: | Allister Brimble |
| Platforms: | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Game Boy Color |
Three Lions (The Official England Team Game), released in North America as Alexi Lalas International Soccer, is a video game developed by Z-Axis and published by Take-Two Interactive, based on European football (soccer). It was released for the PC, PlayStation and Game Boy Color on 17 April 1998 and in 1999 as the official video game of the English Football Association. Originally announced under the title "Major League Soccer",[1] [2] it was also marketed under other names in other regions, including Golden Goal 98, Bomba:98 All Champions Challenge, Mundial:98 and Pro:Foot Contest 98.
Editions of the game in different regions feature native international footballers. In France, Pro:Foot Contest 98 features Didier Deschamps, in Italy, Bomba:98 All Champions Challenge features Roberto Di Matteo,[3] in North America, Alexi Lalas International Soccer features Alexi Lalas.[4]
Three Lions was developed under the title "Major League Soccer" for publisher BMG Interactive, but after BMG shut down, publication was taken on by Take-Two Interactive.[2]
The PlayStation version received unfavorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.
Next Generation said, "If you're looking for speedy, no-nonsense physical play, you could do a lot worse than Alexi Lalas International Soccer." Extreme PlayStation said, "Three Lions doesn't boast great graphics and has a few niggling flaws (like the omission of any type of analog control), but there's enough innovation and gameplay here to give the other World Cup bandwagon games a run for their money."[5]